Crawford, TX, November 9, 2001 — The Crawford Community Center was the site of an alternative fuels first on November 7th, as members of the Propane Education & Research Council (Council), propane industry leaders, and officials of state and federal government met to hand-off the keys of a propane-powered pick-up truck for use on the ranch of President George W. Bush. Bush Ranch Foreman Kenneth Engelbrecht accepted delivery of the demonstration project "Exceptional Energy" Ford F-250 pick-up truck for use on the Crawford ranch in the company of the Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Program Director Shelley Launey, Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Michael Williams, and Councilors Bruce Toellner of Mitchell Energy & Development Corp., Curtis Donaldson of Clean Fueling Technologies, and Milford Therrell of Squibb Taylor.

The day was a celebration not only for official delivery of the Ford truck to the Crawford ranch, but for the final installation of a propane fueling infrastructure and dispenser installed on the ranch last week by CleanFUEL USA. Referring to the current 1,200 propane fueling stations that dot the state of Texas, Chairman Williams declared, "Today, there are 1,201."

The Bush Ranch Ford truck was converted to a Bi-Phase Technologies liquid propane fuel injection system by Northwest Propane of Dallas and was originally delivered to the ranch in August. Bright white and featuring a prominent blue Propane. Exceptional Energy. logo on the propane fuel tank, the 4-door vehicle got its first national exposure this summer on ABC’s news magazine show 20/20 in a ranch interview with the President. The President was also seen driving the vehicle at a farm bill signing ceremony on his Crawford ranch.

Clean Fueling Technologies President Curtis Donaldson says the time is now for alternative fuel solutions. "It's time to speed up and get caught up in the advancement of propane as a clean burning, safe, and effective alternative fuel of choice." Donaldson is also managing director of CleanFUEL USA, the propane fuel infrastructure marketing group that coordinated the Bush Ranch project. Current figures confirm that there are nearly 350,000 propane-powered vehicles on the nation's highways today — most in both public and private vehicle fleet use. As an alternative motor fuel solution, propane burns clean, producing up to 90 percent less carbon monoxide and 50 percent fewer toxins and other smog-producing emissions than gasoline engines.

Clean Cities Director Launey says the search for practical alternative fuel options is a national security issue as much as an environmental one. Recognizing that 56 percent of U.S. oil is imported and that one-quarter of that is from the Middle East, she points to the Crawford Ranch vehicle as an example of leadership in the use of alternative fuels, "While there are no silver bullets to solving our dependence on foreign energy sources, part of the solution is the use of clean burning, domestically produced alternative fuels like propane." With a glance out at the surrounding central Texas landscape, Launey offered, "It's particularly important that this event is happening in this place, Crawford, Texas, at this time."

Speaking for the environmentally friendly and public health conscious qualities that make propane an exceptional fuel, Launey stated, "Alternative fuels like propane can help us breathe a little easier."

Dubbing propane a "home state fuel," Chairman Williams recognized that the state of Texas is the national front-runner in propane use, industrial production of propane, and total number of vehicles and vehicle fleets on the road. In turning over the Ford truck keys to Englebrecht he added, "Ken, when you’re driving the truck...when the President is not...you're going to find it to be a smooth running, high performance vehicle. Powered by propane, it will meet the highest standards of safety, environmentally-sound clean emissions, and fuel efficiency."

The Council provided funding and support for the Bush Ranch project. Under the banner of the industry's Propane. Exceptional Energy. campaign, the Council continues to build a solid national identity for propane use, both as a motor fuel and energy source for home, farm and power generation. Council Vice Chairman Toellner confirms, "The Exceptional Energy program is a major contributor to the growing presence of propane both here in Texas and around the country."

The Propane Education & Research Council is dedicated to promoting the safe use of odorized propane gas as a preferred energy source through consumer education, safety and research projects. For more information on propane-fueled fleets, visit the Council's Web site at www.propanecouncil.org.